


end of the line

by marshie_marshmallow



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Edelthea Week (Fire Emblem), F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Implied Sexual Content, i just thought it was better to be cautious, it's basically just a few lines near the end, violence isn't really that graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22596550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshie_marshmallow/pseuds/marshie_marshmallow
Summary: The Alliance army marches on Enbarr. The end draws near.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	end of the line

**Author's Note:**

> written for edelthea week day 7: together. nobody yell at me for this.

Fort Merceus had fallen.

Ferdinand had died in a failed attempt to hold the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Bernadetta had been cut down on Gronder Field. Linhardt and Caspar, even if they had survived the assault on Merceus, had surely been killed when the fortress was obliterated.

Edelgard tightened the defenses of Enbarr. It was their last hope, after all.

* * *

Dorothea woke up in a bed that was not her own. The city was surrounded by Alliance forces who were sure to invade today. Last night had been the night to do things they might otherwise never get a chance to. The other side of the bed was empty. Edelgard had already left to prepare for the day and, with it, the coming fight.

It was their final battle. They would kill Claude and the professor here or they would die in the name of the Empire.

The odds were stacked against them.

Slowly, Dorothea pushed the covers off and picked up her clothes off the floor. She had a role to play in the coming battle, too. It wouldn’t do to keep the others waiting. It was odd to think that her life may very well end before the day was out but she would die without the regret of letting things between her and Edelgard remain unspoken.

Once she was dressed, she slipped out to the main area of the emperor’s quarters. Edelgard was sitting there with maps of the city spread out before her. She hadn’t started changing into her armor and only wore her nightdress, hair loose around her shoulders.

“You’re awake,” she said.

“Good morning, Edie,” Dorothea replied. Her voice lacked any attempt at cheerfulness. “Where’s Hubie?”

“Hubert has already gone to lead the city’s defenses with the Death Knight. In a mere hour or two, Enbarr will become a battleground.” She nodded to a cart in the corner bearing food. “You should eat while you have a chance. You’ll need the energy for the coming battle.”

She was incredibly nonchalant about the fact that they were about to enter the war’s final battle. Not to mention acting as if another, unmarried woman walking out of her bedroom was anything less than completely scandalous. Not that anyone would gossip about what had happened, given that gossip is only fun when the people in question are alive and they weren’t likely to be so for much longer.

Dorothea obligingly took some of the food and Edelgard cleared a spot at the table for her.

“We’ve determined the defensive positions for the palace,” Edelgard said. “Given your positioning, you should be able to strike the Alliance army from the rear.”

“Assuming they get into the palace,” Dorothea replied before taking a bite of bread. She didn’t care much for the idea of eating at that moment but it wouldn’t do to skip breakfast today.

“Of course. I should hope it won’t come to that but… It very well may. In addition...” She trailed off, staring at the maps in front of her.

Dorothea swallowed. “... Edie?”

“Petra… will be fighting as well. I told her it wasn’t necessary. For Brigid’s sake, she should… but no. She insists on battling alongside us.”

“Well… That’s her choice, isn’t it?” Dorothea didn’t exactly think it was the best choice but it was Petra’s decision to make all the same.

“I know but… She’ll risk dying somewhere so far from her home. This isn’t like what happened at Gronder Field. Retreating isn’t- there’s nowhere left to retreat  _ to _ .”

“Then we’ll simply have to win.” Even as Dorothea spoke, her stomach was sinking. They would die and Petra would die with them.

“Yes. We will.”

Dorothea couldn’t tear her eyes away from Edelgard’s face. There was so much riding on the events of this day. It was the end of the war, one way or another, and the odds of their victory were low.

“Edie?”

Edelgard looked up at her. “Hm?”

Dorothea leaned over, closing the distance between their lips. There was a pause before Edelgard placed a hand on the back of her head and started kissing back.

Maybe it was indulgent, doing something like this before they were to march into battle. Or perhaps it was necessary. Dorothea wasn’t sure if she could take any more fighting but knowing what waited on the other side of their victory? That helped steel her resolve.

One more battle. If they defeated the Alliance today, then she and Edelgard had all the time in the world to spend together like this. The kiss was simply a reminder of what she fought for. For Edelgard’s ideal world… and for the woman herself, whom Dorothea loved more than any other.

* * *

Thunder crackled bolt after bolt of magic was shot at the Alliance army.

Hubert was dead now, too. His body was somewhere in the streets of Enbarr. Dorothea had watched Petra get struck by one of Lysithea’s spells earlier. She had fallen down and not gotten back up.

She didn’t know whose lance it was that pierced her back. It didn’t particularly matter. What mattered is that Dorothea collapsed to the ground, unable to hold herself up any more. Claude and Byleth surged past her into the throne room, towards Edelgard.

She had failed and any future they could have had together was lost. She stretched her hand out in that direction as her vision grew black.

“Edelgard… forgive me… I can’t…”

* * *

As Claude’s sword found its way through the chinks in her breastplate, Edelgard gasped.

She knew this was how it had been going to end. The moment they had broken through to the throne room, she knew the war was lost. Dorothea and Petra would not have let him get so close to her without dying themselves.

Were she a different kind of person, she might have surrendered, as Claude had begged her to. She had come too far to give in. All of her friends had died for her cause.  _ Dorothea _ had died for her cause and for her. As he drew his sword out, she fell to the ground, clutching the bleeding wound.

_ I suppose I’ll be with you soon… Dorothea... _


End file.
